Shoelace tying is a daily activity that can be particularly difficult for people with limited fine motor hand skills. For instance, individuals stricken with birth defects, amputations, strokes, and arthritis can find shoelace tying difficult if not impossible. Such individuals are thus forced to seek the assistance of a care provider or to wear shoes that use hook-and-loop fasteners, e.g., Velcro strips, or shoes outfitted with specially made shoelaces that do not need to be tied in a conventional manner to secure the shoe around the individual's foot. Such specially made shoes and shoes outfitted with Velcro strips however are not always ideal.
For example, a tieless elastic shoelace has been proposed that has plastic disks at each end of the shoelace. The plastic disks are temporarily removed to allow the shoelace to be threaded through the eyelets of the shoe. Once the shoelace is threaded, the disks are secured to the ends of the shoelace and are operative as a stop to prevent the ends of the shoelace from being pulled back through the first eyelets. With such a configuration, the shoelace sets a maximum of the opening formed between the tongue and the counter of the shoe into which the individual can slip the foot into the shoe; however, the shoelace cannot be effectively tightened to snug the shoe around the foot. In this regard, the shoe may not provide the necessary support for the foot and ankle that is needed for athletic activity, such as walking. Another drawback of such special shoelaces is that the original shoelaces that come with the shoes must be removed and replaced, which can be difficult for an individual with limited fine motor skills in one or both hands.
Velcro strips, or other hook-and-loop fasteners, are effective in providing a snug fit of the shoe around the foot. However, shoes equipped with such fasteners are generally not visually appealing and thus are typically not preferred for formal wear or business attire. The individual must then either wear a conventional shoe and seek assistance in tying the shoelaces or wear the unsightly hook-and-loop fastener shoe that can negatively impact the individual's esteem and confidence.